Qinglong Gorge + Mutianyu Great Wall

The spring outing to Qinglong Gorge and Mutianyu Great Wall has been made for a long time. As a single foreigner, there must be some difficulties for me to finish the trip all by myself. So I searched a lot of information related to ticket price, form of transport, dining and accommodation. After everything was prepared, I started this journey on last Saturday, a cold day after high rainfall.

Qinglong Gorge

The bus 936 went directly to Qinglong Gorge. I took it at Dongzhimen Station. But you had to ask the bus driver whether this was the right 936 bus going to Qinglong Gorge, because there are many 936 bus branch lines, which easily made visitors puzzled. After three hours on the bus, I arrived at the entrance of Qinglong Gorge at about eleven in the morning. The fresh country side air immediately elevated me. There were many farmhouses around; all had dining and accommodation service. I chose one with clean environment and cheap price. It cost 20 yuan per person including breakfast. The madame was a good cook. She quickly made five dishes in fifteen minutes for me and other companions. We had scrambled eggs, maize cake and millet gruel as far as I could remember. Had a short rest, I headed for the Qinglong Gorge in the afternoon.

A bridge named "Qinglong" (Green Dragon) was just seen not far away from the entrance of Qinglong Gorge. It was an old bridge and the water under it was almost dry. A broken wooden boat perched on the bank. No one showed any interest in it. Steep cliffs stood erect at the waterside. What a delicate place! The Qinglong Lake was like a green dragon which was cut in the middle by Qinglong Gorge Dam. Passing the dam, visitors could climb the mountain. It was an easy work as there were stone stairs leading the way. I stopped to take wonderful pictures from time to time. It was too windy on the mountain and the stairs were narrow and steep. Watch your steps if you go there. There were many entertainments in the scenic area such as Bungjee jumping, rock climbing and speed drop. But I didn't try.

Many of my fellow travelers took the cable way to go down the mountain except me. The climb down was even harder than the climb up. After a moment, my knees began to sour. An alpenstock was becoming necessary. I picked up a tree branch to reduce the pressure of my knees and it helped. At about five, I arrived at the exit of Qinglong Gorge. From there, I took a local's motorbike to my farmhouse

The supper started immediately after I came back. It didn't cost-effective. I shared with other five companions and we had five cold dishes and seven hot dishes. They did not taste good but cost too much. I strolled in the village after the full dinner. I saw the aged women were dancing yangko, very interesting and fresh in my eyes.

Mutianyu Great Wall

The next day nearly six, I got up. The air in the morning village was quite fresh. I had a good mood today as I would go to Mutianyu Great Wall. As the famous saying goes, "You are not a true man if you haven't arrived at the wall." Today I would become a true man, a hero! ^^. After the breakfast, we six gathered in the parking lot. About half an hour later, we arrived at Mutianyu Great Wall.

Mutianyu Great Wall was newly repaired. I did not like it because it was strikingly new to the eyes. The Great Wall in my mind should be historic, broken and wild. I was more interested in the small architectures on the wall rather than the wall itself. They were all used for wars in the past. Every design was delicate, and there were ancient cannons stalled at regular distance, reminding me of the passing war years. Standing in a beacon tower and watching outside, I doubted whether this long wall could stop the invaders' pace of advance. Of course I knew it failed, but why the emperors would toil the mass and loose wealth to build such a vulnerable construction, probably because they lacked of confidence. But anyway, I was not a historian. I was just an ordinary traveler here. After taking a group of photos, I decided to return.

This time, I decided to try the Speed Slideway to go down the mountain. What a breathtaking adventure! The slideway cart was almost flying against the earth. The speed could be controlled by the joystick. Push forward, it accelerated; draw back, it decelerated. You must control the speed very carefully to prevent collision. In this way, it was a little bit dangerous if the cart was out of control. I finally arrived safe and sound at the foot of the hill. The cart helped me save a lot of breath so I quickly walked back to the parking lot without feeling tired.

Our driver picked up back to the farmhouse. I had a shower and a sound sleep. At about five in the afternoon, I called it a day. Sweet journey ^^!

Mutianyu Great Wall in the late afternoon